What Is UTM Code And How To Use It?
August 4, 2022
Digital marketing campaigns need to be analyzed well to understand their traffic. While getting the desired footfall on your website is excellent, diving deep into the analytics allows you to reinforce the aspects that worked and eliminate the ones that didn’t.
UTM code is one such tool used by digital marketers to assess the traffic generated for a website and understand where it is coming from. Knowing the source of your website traffic helps you improve your marketing campaign and focus more on targeting the sources that give you traction.
However, before getting ahead of ourselves, let us start by understanding what a UTM code is.
What Is A UTM Code?
UTM stands for Urchin Tracking Module. Urchin Software invented these codes in the Urchin web statistics analysis program, and they were used to identify and analyze the sources of traffic for websites.
In 2005, Google purchased Urchin Software and launched Google Analytics, incorporating these codes into its analytics tool. Currently, UTM codes allow Google Analytics users to identify website traffic sources and analyze their digital marketing campaigns. While Google Analytics would provide a superficial view of the traffic coming to your website by default, UTM codes help you dive deeper and obtain valuable insights about your site visits.
The 5 UTM Parameters
The efficacy of your digital marketing campaign can be analyzed using five key UTM parameters. Based on your objectives and the details you are willing to analyze, you can choose any (or all) of these parameters while using UTM codes.
Here are the 5 UTM parameters you should be well-versed with:
Campaign Source
Represented by “utm_source,” this parameter is used to identify your traffic source. Depending on where your visitors are coming from, the parameter could show the name of a website, a newsletter, a social media platform, or search engine results.
Here is an example of what a campaign source embedded in a URL would look like:
utm_source=google
Campaign Medium
Represented by “utm_medium,” this parameter identifies the medium visitors use to access your website. Depending on how your website was accessed, this parameter can show you multiple media such as social, email, cost-per-click (CPC), etc.
Here is an example of what a campaign medium embedded in a URL would look like:
utm_medium=cpc
Campaign Name
Represented by “utm_campaign,” this parameter is used to identify a specific campaign your website is associated with. If you have been running multiple digital marketing campaigns, this UTM parameter will let you know the campaign linked to the site visited. Here, you may see the name of a product/service, a specific contest, a type of sale, etc.
Here is an example of what a campaign titled “Spring Sale” embedded in a URL would look like:
utm_campaign=spring-sale
Campaign Term
Represented by “utm_term,” this parameter is used in paid search campaigns for tracking specific ad-based keywords. This allows digital marketers to identify the keywords that led to particular site visitors.
Here is an example of what the campaign term (keyword) of biking gear embedded in a URL would look like:
utm_term=biking-gear
Campaign Content
Represented by “utm_content,” this parameter is used by marketers to determine the type of content that was used by a visitor to land on your website. It is commonly used when multiple ads lead to the same URL or numerous links (landing page, email, social media, etc.) directing users to the same website.
Here is an example of how a site visit made using a CTA at the bottom of the website would be embedded in a URL:
utm_content=cta-bottom
How To Create A UTM Code?
It is possible to manually create your UTM codes and add them to your URLs. However, this would require you to type a long string of code depending on the results you are looking for and the site you are tracking.
To help you save your efforts, Google provides its URL builder that generates an ideal URL for your website based on the UTM codes you want to incorporate into it. Such tools simply require you to plug in the UTM code values and provide you with complete URLs that are ready to be tracked.
Viewing UTM Code Data In Google Analytics
Once the URL of your site is generated and the relevant UTM codes are embedded, Google Analytics will automatically start extracting relevant information about the source of your traffic and provide you with the same. These statistics can be accessed within the reports that help you and your team make important decisions regarding your digital marketing campaigns.
Here are a few essential steps you can follow if you wish to view your UTM code data in action within Google Analytics:
- Start by logging in to the Google Analytics account associated with your website.
- Once you are logged in, you will view the Home Screen by default. The desktop view of the tool would show you a series of reports on the left-hand side of your screen. Here, you need to click on the option of “Acquisition.”
- This would provide you with menu items under “Acquisition.” Now, click on the option of “Campaigns.”
- This will expand the Campaigns dropdown. Now, click on “All Campaigns.”
- Once you enter the “All Campaigns” section of Google Analytics, you will be able to see all the campaigns defined by you and your team inside your tracking URLs. Here, as per your preference, you can sort your campaign data based on Medium, Source, or Source/Medium.
Benefits Of Using UTM Codes
Here are some of the fundamental reasons why UTM codes are beneficial for your business:
Understanding The Areas To Focus On.
The most significant benefit of using a UTM code in your website URL is obtaining clarity about the areas you should focus on in your digital marketing campaign. As it offers you valuable information such as the source from where you are generating traffic, the keywords that are giving you maximum traffic, and the media platforms used by your visitors, you can narrow down your marketing processes to get more focused traction.
Cost-effective Analysis
Google Analytics is free for everyone, and using UTM codes does not cost you anything. This tactic helps you save money that would otherwise be spent on purchasing expensive analytics tools.
Generating Data-driven Reports
Using UTM codes allows you to generate personalized reports about your website and specific web pages. These reports provide valuable insights into your site visits, allowing the management to make decisions that matter.
Improving Your Campaigns
Finally, working with UTM codes in Google Analytics helps you improve the efficiency of your digital marketing campaigns across multiple digital channels. Allowing you to get the traction you have been looking for and drive your marketing campaigns as per the ongoing trends.
The Final Word
UTM codes are yardsticks that lead you to the source of your website traffic and provide you with valuable information. Making the most of such Google Analytics features would help you create your niche in the digital world and get an edge over your competitors.
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